Hello, Ladies of Hive. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this community that shows gratitude to the community and its member: fun and unique activities to join.
I am sharing the most precious tradition we celebrate here in the Philippines. Our country is known for having the most extended celebration of Christmas. I would say that this is one of the cherished family celebrations and traditions. Yearly, from the 24th of December were we celebrate Noche Buena, where families will gather for a suffer and prepare foods for family and relatives. Christmas day is for the kids, where they go visit house to house to family, friends and their godparents. The children received gifts and some aguinaldo that was prepared for them. This was one of my favorites when I was younger. I can also save money from my aguinaldo and buy something I want and also the gifts are very nice. Then at night, we go to the park and ride, like Star City or Boom na Boom, to enjoy some rides, and by the next day, we watch the cinema with our family. It was a happy childhood memory I have during Christmas Seasons. I also want to share this kind of celebration with my kids. Recently, we decided to change some of the common we do from the previous years. We now go to one of the family houses, prepare parties, games, and exchange gifts. Still fun for kids and adults.
The next of the most cherished family tradition for me is the feast of the Black Nazarene. This has become my favorite now. During the feast every 9th of January, our family gathers in Quiapo, Manila, to witness and celebrate the yearly grand Traslación procession. It’s a feast where most attendees are called devotees of the Black Nazarene. I started attending the event almost a decade now, I was just a teenager back then, and it was just a fun activity for me. As I see it, most people in our area go to that feast and walk barefooted. Millions of people, devotees, and foreigners are also going to the feast to witness and celebrate.
Just a brief story, an unknown artist created the Black Nazarene statue from Mexico; it’s not black as the original portrait. It was brought to the Philippines via ship; however, the boat loaded was caught on fire. Then the statue became black; they said it was a clear complexion before the incident. The said statue believed in creating miracles and do answer prayers. The statue was held under the supervision of Minor Basilica Church in Quiapo. I became a devotee as I also believed in his miracle. My uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and other family members pull the huge rope as part of their vows. This is the most critical part of the feast as many people were trying to pull the rope or touch the statue.
As we grow older, this has become my favorite feast; it’s very minimal for us to see each other. When our grandparents passed away, this was our day of the year where we hung out and shared stories and, of course, witnessed another glory from Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno. We all wear the t-shirt that our aunt provided, and they also prepare food to eat. I also bring my kids to celebrate the feast, but I don’t allow them to be in the crowd because it’s unsafe; people could step the children. I witness how people go crazy to touch the big rope and somewhere unlucky to pass out or get injured. I haven’t gone to that point yet, but I am satisfied to see the Black Nazarene afar. Now, I share this moment with my children, and I hope they continue to join me yearly to go to Quiapo to celebrate the feast.
Our Black Nazarene, T-shirts, and our mini Nuestro Padre Nazareno replica
I hope this COVID virus stops spreading and infecting people. I missed hanging out and celebrating holidays with our family and friends. This virus isolates us and distances us from our families and friends. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 were not able to attend the feast since last year because I could not risk being on the crowd as I also prevented being infected by the virus, and it could be possible up to this coming year due to the high volume of infections with COVID and the continuous mutation with different variants.
Tagging random people on my network 
I do respect other opinions if people here have religion or non. Please excuse if there are images and beliefs from this blog post. Thank you.
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Credit photos to Google and Canva